An Unknown Relative
by Ria D'Arcy
Summary: Raina Tachibana is 18 yrs old and has been raised in a single-parent household all her life. Now she has finally acquired the chance to confront her illegitimate father. She has never met the man who makes up half her DNA, so what will happen when she finally calls him? Will she be forced to accept a cold shoulder, or does fate (and a meddling friend) have more in store for her?
1. Call Waiting

I sat in an empty booth, twiddling my thumbs with a drink in front of me. I had given the waitress a fake ID, since I was a year below the drinking age, but I needed it to steady my nerves. Every few seconds my eyes strayed to the phone in the exact center of the table.

As the exceedingly long seconds continued to tick by I became restless, my anxiety mounting to new heights. My hands began to absentmindedly comb out a section of my long, black hair, dividing it into three perfectly even sections. Seconds later the section I had combed out was a tightly woven braid.

I then moved on to another braid. Then a third. A fourth… Each perfectly separated and woven. The repetitive pattern soothed me more than the drink had. So, taking a breath, I finally picked up my phone and flipped it open.

I scrolled through the very few contacts until I came to the last one.

Zoldyck.

It was the number my mother had given me after years of insistence.

My thumb hovered over the call button. I finally pushed it, bringing the phone to my ear and listening to the rings.

My eyes roved over the whole restaurant. There were two males sitting at the bar, empty plates and full mugs in front of them. Other than the bartender who was absorbed in the latest evening news, no one else was in the room. I had chosen this restaurant because it was out of the way and only dealt with the same clientele; it was rare for someone new to come through. I had been coming here since I was a little girl, mostly with my mom. But tonight it was just me.

Luckily there had been a new waitress. If not for her, I would have left an hour ago in search of someplace where I could purchase liquor. But here I felt safe, sheltered. Nothing bad had ever happened here.

Nothing ever could… or so I believed.

The ringing in my ear ceased and my breath caught. I waited, hoping to hear his voice for the first time in my life. But all I heard was the dial tone.

No one had answered and there was no voice mail.

I felt a twitch in my left eye but suppressed it. Mom always told me how _he_ was a master at keeping his face blank. I had also grown up being told how much I looked like _him_. How almost everything I did was just like _him_.

I tried redialing the number, suppressing another eye tick as I continued to think about the cold shoulder I had just gotten.

This time it was picked up after the second ring.

"Hello~" a singsong like greeting came though the earpiece and it gave me pause. The voice was not how mom had described it. Had she given me the wrong number?

"Hello?" I asked, trying to keep all afflictions out of my voice.

"Hello~ Who's calling?" the voice said.

"… Illumi-san?" Silence met my question and I pulled my phone away to ascertain we were still connected. "Is this Illumi-san?"

"No~" he sang and just before I hung up I heard him shout, "Illu~chan! Phone~"

It peaked my interest enough to keep me on the line. However, after a full minute of silence my interest was beginning to wane. That was, until I heard the telltale sounds of the phone changing hands and a monotone,

"Illumi," in my ear.

"Illumi Zoldyck?" I needed to make absolutely sure.

"Yes."

I took a deep breath, another. I swallowed around the lump in my throat. Could I do this? It was my only chance.

"I'm your daughter."

A dial tone was my only response.

This time I did not even try to supress my twitch. Okay, first impression? My dad was an asshole. Mom was wrong. Illumi was not "sweet" and "hard to understand" he was an a-_hole_!

I bit the inside of my cheek, reigning in my temper. I needed to regain control. I had to regain self-control… I tasted blood, and only then did I unclench my jaw.

With exaggerated slowness I pulled the phone from my ear and, using both hands, gently closed the lid. I replaced it in the exact center of the table and glared at it. My hands once again found their way to my hair and I began to unweave all the braids.

I raked my hands across my scalp, pulling my hair back and away from my eyes. I blew out a breath. Once I was sure my temper was under control I reached for my mobile. This time would yield more results. Either that, or I was seriously going to be pissed.

I hit redial and held my breath as I listened to the first ring.

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_A/N: So this is my new idea… and I actually have another on the way too. I'm trying to get in the habit of regular updating, so this (and my other idea) will be the experiment for it._

_I want to thank __**Razorblade Mistress**__ for beta-ing this. And I will continue to thank you every chapter because you save my hide time after time so get used to it ;P_

_As always, reviews are much appreciated because they are what keep me wanting to write and share my (I think) wonderful and kinda cookie ideas ^^ Bye-bye! *waves*_


	2. Call Forwarding

_A/N: It's a day early but tomorrow is going to be a little crazy. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! ^^_

* * *

I lay on the hotel bed, ankles crossed and my fingers laced behind my head, with a small smirk on my face. I watched as Illu-chan stood even more statue-like then he normally did. He had only come in through the window of my hotel an hour ago, after he had finished one of his assignments. He had wanted a shower, and apparently my hotel had been closer to the unlucky target then his own.

So I continued to watch my old friend as he never moved. His black hair was still long and just as silky smooth as it had been years ago, even dripping wet. I thought back briefly to how long it had been since we took the Hunter Exam together. A dozen years? That sounded about right.

In all the time I had known him, he had never appeared _this_ shocked from a simple phone call. I hadn't ever seen his shocked expression actually. Now, I had a front row seat and it wasn't as joyful as I had thought it would be. In fact I was disappointed that it had not been _I_ who had put that expression on his blank features.

Throwing my feet over the edge of the mattress, I approached the assassin. His body remained motionless, not even flicking his eyes in my direction. Though we had known each other longer than a normal acquaintance, there was no level of trust between us.

Hmmm…

"Illu-chan?" I waved a hand in front of his face before snapping my fingers a couple of times. Still no response. I leaned my head next to his ear, and blew a light breath.

My face was grabbed with on hand and I found myself being pressed to the floor with Illu on top of me. I chuckled once I saw the glaze from his eyes fade.

"My, my Illu-chan. I didn't know you could be so… assertive." I drawled the last word, a sparkle shining through my eyes as I saw him take in our positions.

The needles pressed against my throat and the weight on my lower stomach receded as Illu paced away from me. Still not talking, he was all mechanics again.

I remained on the floor, rolling onto my side and propping my head up with one arm so I could watch the assassin as he moved. I found this more pleasurable now that he was responding, even if only on instinct.

Illu had always been one of my fun-est toys, even if I couldn't play with him the same way I could with Gon… I licked my lips as I thought of all the potential that boy held. Twelve years later and he was still improving rapidly. My, my, how would I ever decide when I could seriously fight him?

And of course his friend, and Illu's little brother, Killua. Another fruit that was slowly ripening.

I noticed a hint of my lust was seeping into my aura, causing Illu to focus on me once more. But not with the blank-but-alert look he usually held. No, no. This look was no fun. This was Illu-chan like I had first met him. Silent, efficient, and totally _bo~ring_!

"Hmmm…. What to do with my Illu?" I sang as I picked myself up and stalked towards him. His eyes simply trailed me.

So as I circled behind him, I lay one hand on the small of his back and felt him stiffen. My smile only grew wider. I pushed my luck further and moved the bulk of his hair over his right shoulder, leaning my head over his left. I blew into his ear and lightly trailed my hands down his chest, taking small pleasures from being able to touch Illu however I wanted for once.

Before my fun was finished it seemed Illu came back to himself. Moving faster than I had ever thought him capable of, he was out of my arms, which were paralyzed by pins, and across the room holding yet more.

"What were you doing?"

"Ah~ Just having a little fun with your _hypnotizing _body my dear Illu~chan." I chuckled, watching the subtle play of emotions dance in his eyes. Shock, suspicion, and I'm sure something close to un-amused.

We stood as we were, him glaring and me smiling, until he moved to extract the pins in my arms. I rotated my shoulders to get the blood flowing faster and returned to sit on the edge of the bed. Illu chose to stand angled against the glass balcony door, his attention once more focusing on something asides from me.

I tapped a solidary finger against my lips, trying to figure out what had shocked my un-shockable friend. A light chuckle escaped my throat at the pun.

Maybe that was the answer…

"Hey Illu?" I called, wanting to assuage my curiosity, knowing full well it would consume me if I didn't. "Did that call have anything to do with your little brother?"

"Which brother?"

"Aw~ Your favourite brother of course silly Illu-chan, Killua-kun. Wasn't he supposed to be off romping around with my lovely Gon-kun?" I pulled a deck of cards from my pocket and began shuffling them, containing and refocusing my excitement at the mention of some of my favourite toys.

"…" Illu said nothing, which told me nothing. Illu loved playing these unintentional mind games with me. I licked my lips as I began building the first row of my house of cards.

"Hmmm~ Maybe if she had nothing to do with them… Could she possibly have something to do with that otaku brother of yours? Milluki?" I had noticed the subtlest of spine stiffening as the mention of her, the female caller.

"…" Again he did not say anything. So I ran through the remaining two brothers, keeping track of how many times I referred to the caller and how many times he straightened his posture.

"My, my, Illu-chan has a follower does he now?" I took a stab in the dark, getting nowhere with the mention of his brothers.

"Hisoka." Illu turned his body and I saw his eyes were once again the deceitfully dead black eyes I had fantasized about.

"Yes~"

"Thank you for the use of your shower." He inclined his head and left. I blinked a few times and realized it was no joke. Illumi had left.

He was only wearing pants.

Something had _really_ shocked my dear assassin-kun and I wanted to find out about it.

I flicked my nail against a supporting card and watched my house of cards fall to pieces. Just like I would piece apart this new mystery.

"Ah~ Illu~chan, how _do_ you keep me so entertained?" I chuckled as I too went to take a shower.

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_A/N: Hehe… Sorry but writing this chapter from Hisoka's point of view was pretty fun. You will be seeing him a lot more often too. I never thought he would play such an integral role in this series. Another shout out to __**Razorblade Mistress**__ for beta-ing, thanks ^^_

_I hope this keeps all you readers wanting more and will tune in again next month. Ciao!_


	3. Chapter 3

I turned off the shower and listened again. I was sure that sounded like a phone ringing… But it wasn't mine. I grabbed the towel from the towel bar and rubbed at my hair, walking out to find what the source was.

A small blinking light on the floor had me peering closer. Was that…?

Illu-chan had left his phone in his haste to leave. This just added to the amount of shock he had experienced. I licked my lips and picked it up… noting that the number was the same from earlier as I answered,

"Hello~"

"You're not Illumi-san." The same girl's voice from earlier sounded torn between accusatory and peeved.

"Nope~ But I can take a message." I heard her intake of breath and looked off over the cityscape. I always loved getting one of the highest rooms in any hotel. The views were always the best part… asides from the large beds of course.

"No, thank you."

"Aw~ I promise he'll get it as soon as possible, darling."

"I am _not_ your 'darling'." She snapped her teeth and I chuckled.

"Gomen~" The line was silent for a moment and I nearly hung up, thinking my fun was over when she spoke again,

"Do you know Illumi-san well?"

"Hmmm~ That's a secret now isn't it?" I traced the horizon as the last sliver of the suns light faded behind the buildings and the night was illuminated by the pale moon above and the yellow city lights below.

"You're an irritating guy aren't you?" There was only a hint of exasperation in her voice. It nearly reminded me of Illu's when I annoyed him with my boredom.

"Hmmm~"

"Can you really get a message to Illumi-san?" Her question was hesitant. Almost reluctant. What was her connection to Illu that it would provoke her asking a complete stranger for assistance? Surely she wasn't as gullibly _trusting _as Gon… I licked my lips.

"But of course~"

"_Sigh_… Can you tell him I want to meet him?"

"Just name the time and the place darling~" I cooed, trailing a finger across the window, outlining the dips and climbs of the city, wondering what it would look like in the middle of total carnage.

"I'll text the address to you. Just make sure Illumi-san comes. Good-bye." The line was cut off just as she finished speaking. I waited until the phone in my hand vibrated and looked at the address. It was in the same city… and not that far away. Hmmm~ but there was still over twenty-four hours to kill before we were supposed to meet…

… I mean before she and _Illu-chan_ met.

I guess that gave me time to find Illu and give him his phone back. Short of one message of course. Ah~ this was turning out to be extremely fun. It had been_ far_ too long since I last found a new toy to play with, and now I had one.

I chuckled as I turned back to face the interior of the room.

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_A/N: Short... really short. But I haven't been working on this story much since school started. I have two more chapters to post then I think I will have to put this series on hold. Thanks **Razorblade Mistress** for beta-ing the chapter! _


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